Battle of Kofu (1545)

The Battle of Kofu (Summer 1545) was a battle of the early Sengoku Period between the armies of the Takeda clan of Kai Province and the Murakami clan of Shinano Province. The warlord Yoshikiyo Murakami dispatched an army of 315 warriors under Hirokado Hiraga to capture Shinano Province and take down the Takeda clan, whose former daimyo Nobutora Takeda had fought the Murakami ages before. The result of the battle was a victory for the Takeda, whose 465 troops routed the Murakami and finished them off soon after.

Background
Nobutora Takeda of the esteemed Takeda clan of Kai Province in central Japan fought many wars with the Murakami clan of the north, who were based at Matsumoto Castle in Shinano Province. The Murakami lord Yoshikiyo Murakami was a veteran of these conflicts, and in 1545 he dispatched Hirokado Hiraga and an army of 315 warriors to invade the south and settle his scores with the Takeda clan. However, his army stopped near the border, giving lord Shingen Takeda the chance to send his brother Nobushige Takeda and 465 Takeda troops north to drive them back. The battle of Kofu was the first major battle between the Takeda clan and any other clan during the Sengoku Period of Japan, and was to mark their ascent to power as a great clan.

Battle
The Takeda clan's army numbered 465 troops, with 75 of them being the famous Takeda cavalry of Kai Province - they were led by the brother of daimyo Shingen Takeda, Nobushige Takeda. With superior warhorses, the Takeda clan were able to bring much land under their control in the past decades. They also included some skilled infantry and a regiment of Bow Ashigaru levies. The Murakami army was 315-strong, with 45 cavalry, 150 Yari Ashigaru, and 120 Bow Ashigaru. Their forces were inexperienced, and Hiraga was a mere retainer of the clan and not a general.

Because the Takeda were on the offensive (and on the clock), the Murakami army sat back and formed defensive positions. Therefore, it was up to Nobushige to lead an attack that would defeat the Murakami army. He sent his cavalry to attack the bowmen while the majority of his infantry would attack the Murakami infantry; his personal cavalry would chase down the cowardly cavalry unit under Hiraga's control. The Takeda horsemen charged the Bow Ashigaru but were forced back, although increased pressure by Takeda infantry routed the Murakami bowmen. Without support, the Murakami infantry fled in droves, as did the general of the shattered army. Hiraga escaped with only a few cavalry, so Nobushige chased down the routing Murakami infantry and killed most of them. The Takeda won the battle, with 54 Takeda and 228 Murakami dead.

The battle spelled defeat for the Murakami, whose capital of Matsumoto Castle fell to the Takeda clan after an assault later that year. The victory of the Takeda confirmed the ascent of Shingen to power, and Shingen made the Takeda powerful through an alliance with the Uesugi, Imagawa, and Hojo clans of the Kanto Region.